A/N: Hello! I know I should be working on Timely Mishaps, but this has been sitting on my Documents for a good while now, so I thought I'd fix it up real quick and publish it!(: I really hope you all enjoy it!^-^

Disclaimer: I am a simple girl living her a life in a world of makebelieve. So that's a no to owning anything having to do with this franchise.

Chapter 1

History

—3rd Person POV—

Allen slumped further down his seat, gaze flickering to the window beside him as he observed the school's manicured lawns, students loitering out on the grounds and stalling their entrance into the buildings. Neah's lecturing tone filtered through his head, causing his scowl to deepen as he recalled his reason for being stuck inside the crummy classroom. The man was under the impression that being cooped up at home all the time was causing his health to deteriorate, and had gone behind his back, withdrawing Allen from his online courses and dumping him in his and Mana's alma mater, some rich kid private school.

What a joke, Allen internally scoffed, And to think, we weren't even placed under the same division.

Uncle Neah and the rest of his extended family had all been classified as Noah students, which was an honor only held by those related to the founder of the school. A bit pretentious, but a revered position nonetheless. As for Allen himself, he'd been labeled an Exorcist, or what they liked to call a "gifted" student, hence, the black and silver blazer he now wore as uniform.

Allen flickered his gaze towards the clock once more, noting that class would be starting soon. To conceal his odd appearance, he'd slipped on a black, hooded sweater above his neat dress shirt and matching tie, and hid it beneath the unbuttoned blazer, the crest upon it (a silver Rose Cross) identifying him as an Exorcist. The hood shielded his brilliant, white hair and cast a shadow over his mercury eyes and angry, red scar. The blazer was pushed back, the pockets of his unzipped sweater serving to cover his gloved hands.

Allen sat in the darkest corner. Being homeschooled as a child, he had few friends to speak of. Lately, it had become the norm to solely hang around his extended family. Ever since Mana's passing a few years ago, he'd gone through drastic changes, but it was Allen's way of coping. He was no longer that redheaded snot-nosed brat Mana had cared for. Neah abruptly showing up in his life, months after being taken in by Cross, wouldn't suddenly fix everything.

He'd at least counted on being surrounded by Road, Wisely, Lulubell, and the twins, but that was no longer the case and it had left a bitter taste in his mouth.

From his peripherals, Allen discreetly observed the students that had begun trickling in. For a moment, he was relieved to see that they took no note of him, until he was suddenly accosted by an overly cheerful redhead. His classmate abruptly pointed him out rather loudly to his friend, "Hey Daisya! I wonder who gloom-and-doom over there is."

Allen groaned internally, nearly facepalming, and instead narrowed his eyes at the older teen. His fellow Exorcist radiated a jovial attitude equivalent to that of his bright, auburn locks, most of which were held up in a mess of spikes by a green bandana, allowing a view of the multiple gold hoops along his ears. Allen was startled to note the eye patch concealing his right eye, though the left one—colored a bright, malachite green—shone with mischief that did not bode well for him. Allen noted the sloppiness with which the redhead wore his uniform—dress shirt untucked, sleeves rolled up to mid-forearms, and necktie left untied. Additionally, he'd thrown a bright scarf loosely around him, wore fingerless gloves, and had a toy hammer strapped to this thigh.

"Wow Lavi, what an excellent question! Let's find out!" Daisya snickered, voice mocking. The wild, brown-haired boy was similarly dressed sloppily in his own uniform, though his necktie was at least tied, if not a bit loose around his neck. A dirty, beat up soccer ball was held in one, fingerless-gloved hand, but his most distinguishing features were the purple streaks that extended from each eye and down his cheeks like that of clown makeup.

His head slightly ducked down, Allen didn't spear to have noticed them, and so when they stupidly tried to sneak up on either side of him, Allen snapped, "Don't even think about."

"Ooh, ooh!" Lavi sniggered, "Looks like we've got ourselves a mini-Kanda!"

"He's definitely a mini," Daisya guffawed, "Look how small he is!"

Before Allen had a chance to retort, a new voice cut in, "Knock it off you two and leave the poor guy alone!"

The white-haired teen shifted his gaze and eyed the long-haired, Chinese girl that scolded them. Her dark, green-tinted locks were mostly held away from her pretty face and pinned up into high pigtails, except for the short strands creating bangs above her fierce, amethyst eyes.

"Oh, come on Lena-Lady!" Lavi complained, carelessly tossing an arm around her shoulder and offering her an innocent grin, "We were just going to introduce ourselves!"

Lenalee didn't appear convinced, but before she could voice this thought, she was cut off by a rather familiar voice.

"Allen~!"

The students in the classroom swiveled their gazes to the young girl—probably a freshman—with inky hair spiked around her and round, violet eyes that rivaled Lenalee's, standing in the doorway with a toothy grin. What drew their gazes though, was the purple and gray uniform she donned, marking her status as a Noah student. The rivalry between the Exorcists and Noah dated nearly back to the founding of the school, and though no one recalled what had sparked it, it was yet to be put to an end.

"Finally! I've been looking everywhere for you," Road pouted. Allen straightened from his slouch, briefly noting his classmates' confusion. But Road was Road, and she disregarded their stares for the sake of skipping into the room, plopping onto his lap, and pecking him on the lips.

"Err, hey Road," Allen smiled sheepishly, red staining his cheeks. Fortunately, the hood concealed his expression. Allen stared at Road quizzically, ignoring the stunned expressions of his fellow Exorcists. Trust Road to completely disregard the so-called rivalry.

"You could sound a little happier to see me," Road huffed, and a held a tin box to her chest, "And after I went through all the trouble of making you Mitarashi Dango. Oh well, I guess I can always offer it to the twins—"

Abruptly, Allen interrupted her by pecking her back on the lips. "So, how about those Mitarashi Dango?" he smiled sweetly.

"See? Was that so hard, Allen~?" Road giggled and handed him the treat. "I have to get to class now! I'll see you later~." A hug and a kiss on the cheek later, Road was skipping her way back outside, into the hallway.

Allen didn't waste a second and wrenched open the tin box, pulling out the sticky, sweet balls of rice on a stick.

"What?" Allen said flatly, shamelessly munching his way through the treat, once he noticed the horrified stares of his classmates.

Shoving a pointed finger in Allen's face, Lavi cried, "The shortstack is dating a Noah!"

Momentarily, Allen went cross-eyed, before he smacked Lavi's hand away with a harsh slap. "Shortstack?! And I'm not dating anyone," he huffed, picking up another stick of dango and shoving it into his mouth.

"Oh, so you mean you two exchanging kisses, and having her make you food doesn't constitute as dating?" Daisya scoffed, skeptical.

Allen shrugged, not deigning to reply. Instead, he continued to eat his way through the stacks of dango.

"How long has this been going on?" Lavi demanded, his face twisted with an odd mixture of horror and confusion.

Swallowing, Allen thoughtfully replied, "I mean, I think she first tried to kiss me when we were toddlers, but she didn't learn to cook—" Abruptly, Allen cut himself off with an astonished blink, before he scowled. "Wait, why am I even telling this to any of you? Who are you people?"

"Eh?!" Lavi gasped and shook his head, hands waving around dramatically. "Wait, wait, wait! You mean to tell me this has been going on since you two were in diapers?!" Allen nodded tersely. "And you haven't kissed a different girl since?!" Lavi demanded, hands gripping his hair, on the verge of a meltdown.

"Look," Allen began, hoping an honest explanation would shut his classmate up, "Road gets all weird and vicious whenever other girls get near me. Goes on about stabbing their eyes out with her candles. As I'm sure you can imagine, they don't stick around for long."

His explanation only served to leave Lavi with an incredulous appearance. "And this doesn't bother you? Not even the tiniest bit?"

Finding that the tin box was now empty, Allen set it down on his desk and then leaned back, crossing his arms and offering Lavi a final shrug. "It's not really the big deal you're making it out to be."

"What's got me amazed," Daisya remarked thoughtfully, "Is that you grew up with this Noah girl, and she's clearly got it bad for you. Despite that, you're not going to do anything about it?" Daisya shook his head. "That's harsh, even if she is a Noah."

Allen broke off his gaze, face twisting uncomfortable. "I guess…" It wasn't a conversation he'd ever had with Road, and she didn't seem to mind. "I mean, I know she likes me. It's hard not to tell when she randomly shows up to my house to make me food." Noticing the odd looks he was receiving from everyone, he defended himself, "She makes delicious food so I gave her a key…"

It wasn't until this moment, faced by his astounded classmates, that he thought the idea to be odd. Allen had gotten used to all of Road's weird little quirks over the years and had not seen her actions as out of place.

"Oh man, you're practically married!" Lavi and Daisya declared, fingers pointing accusingly at Allen with identical, horrified expressions.

"I-I thought it was kind of sweet," a timid, brown-haired freshman stammered with a blush. At first glance, she held a striking resemblance to Lenalee due to her Chinese origins. But in contrast to the older girl, she held kind, toffee-colored eyes and her soft brown hair just barely brushed her shoulders. She was petite, to the point where her uniform was slightly oversize, giving her an overall adorable appearance.

"Mei-Ling, not you too!" cried the alarmed duo, clinging to the poor girl. Luckily for Mei-Ling, Lenalee came to her rescue and smacked both across the head with her advanced history textbook. She then set it down, and with hands firm on her hips, she scolded, "Would you two calm down and mind your own business?!" Exasperated, she demanded, "Anyway, Lavi, where's Professor Bookman? Class should've started five minutes ago."

Rubbing his head with a pout, Lavi shrugged. "Who cares where the old panda is? Hell, I say we just ditch this stupid class," the redhead suggested with a Cheshire grin, but when he noticed Lenalee's scowl, he simply plopped down in his seat and propped his feet onto the connecting desk. "Okay, sheesh, it was just a joke Lenalee, relax."

"Um, I t-think I heard something about an emergency staff meeting, but he should be back soon," another girl offered. The older girl wore her black, wavy tresses loose around her shoulders and her equally dark eyes were lined thickly in eyeliner. But despite the rebellious look, she held a timid air about her.

"Oh," Lenalee blinked, and then smiled, appearing pleasantly surprised. With a clasp of her hands, she decided, "Then we should take this as an opportunity to introduce ourselves!" Turning back to Allen, she held her small hand out and spoke up, "My name is Lenalee Lee. I'm a Junior. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Grasping her small hand, Allen nodded and replied simply, "Allen Walker. Sophomore."

Though Allen had already deduced his name, the redhead finally thought to introduce himself. "Lavi Bookman. Senior."

"Daisya Barry. Senior." And there went his partner in crime.

"I-I'm Mei-Ling Lu. I'm a Freshman," the other Chinese girl chimed in.

"Miranda Lotto. J-Junior," the dark, wavy haired girl stuttered.

Lenalee spoke once again, "The only other person we're missing is Kanda. He's a senior as well."

"Yeah, Yuu-chan thinks he's so cool, so he ditches class whenever he feels like it," Lavi exclaimed with a pout.

Allen frowned, the sound of that name ringing familiar bells, before shaking his head—it couldn't be.

"Um Lavi, I think it mostly has to do with you," Lenalee pointed out dryly.

"What? But Yuu-chan would never do that to me!" Lavi shouted dramatically, making Allen think that yes, anybody would. Lavi's dramatic ranting was cut short by a harsh kick to the head courtesy of a tiny, old man.

"Ouch! The hurt you old geezer!" Lavi whined, clutching his throbbing head.

"Then learn to respect your elders, you idiot!" the old man shouted in return. Before the argument could escalate any further, the man whom Allen assumed was Professor Bookman, walked to the front of the class and began the day's lecture.

Allen blew out a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

Physical Education

The moment the bell rang, Allen shot out of class, seeking and spotting his locker in quick succession. Tossing his backpack inside, Allen slammed his locker door shut and was just about to head off when he was intercepted by a cluster of students donned in familiar violet and gray uniforms. The scene was quick too attract the gazes of those in the vicinity. Those in black uniforms (identifying themselves as Akuma and beneath the jurisdiction of the Noah in terms of status) tittered and whispered. The students dressed in tan blazers (part of the Finder division, and self-proclaimed disciples of the Exorcists) shot him worried glances. The only schoolmates who continued without batting an eyelash were the lab-coat wearing science trainees.

Disregarding the attention, Allen turned and cheerfully greeted his family.

"Allen~!" Road offered an enthusiastic greeting and jumped into his arms, as was her daily routine, her skirt flouncing comically around her—the difference between Road's skirt and the rest of the girls on campus was the fact that she'd sown extra layers of fluff underneath it, allowing her punk-style to shine through, reinforced by her striped, thigh-length socks, Mary-Janes, and thick ribbon replacing her necktie.

"Tch, Allen," Devitto sneered, "I can't believe you were placed with those shitty Exorcists!"

"Yeah, shitty Exorcists! Hihihi~!" Jasdero sniggered, leaning against his brother. The duo appeared as though they'd just gotten out of a brawl, their uniforms torn and shoddy. The added gothic-style makeup smeared across their eyes and toy guns held at each other's heads certainly didn't improve the image.

"Please," Allen snorted, leaning a shoulder against his locker, "Like I'd be better off having you two blow spitballs at me all day."

"Without a doubt… Then again," Wisely mused, tossing him a lazy smirk, "Tag teaming the idiot twins has never been a problem for us." The white-haired duo exchanged a grin.

Lulubell, blunt as ever, remarked, "Plus, you'd have the added advantage of being accustomed to their stupidity." Lulubell was the only female on campus who opted to wear trousers instead of a skirt, though you could hardly mistake her for a boy with her long, golden tresses.

"Oi! We're not stupid!" Devitto denied vehemently, scowl fierce.

Unfortunately, Jasdero didn't help their case much by mimicking him. "Yeah, not stupid!"

Eager to monopolize Allen's attention, Road chimed in, "I've missed you, Allen! This was supposed to be our opportunity to spend more time together!" The petite Noah pouted, but before Allen could reassure her, the sudden brrrrring of the school bell drowned their voices out.

"Come on, Allen! That's us~!" Road cheered, grasping and tangling her fingers with his as she began to tug him down the corridor eagerly.

"What? Road, where are you taking me?" Allen asked. "I thought Exorcists and Noah had no classes together."

"Well, luckily for us," Road giggled and tossed him a grin over her shoulder, "The school board decided that there simply weren't enough time slots to teach us all separately, no matter how privileged, so now we have to share at least some classes with the Exorcists."

"That's a relief," Allen smiled in return, hurrying after her lest she pull his arm out of his socket. The elfin girl had a surprisingly strong grip.

Once they reached the gym, Wisely, Jasdero, and Devitto lead him to the boys' locker room. Allen was relieved to find that the Exorcists had not yet arrived, and quickly took advantage. Below the required t-shirt of his PE uniform, he slipped on a long-sleeve and kept his gloves on, fully concealing view of his blackened left arm. Once they'd all changed out, they met with Road and Lulubell on the bleachers, going unnoticed by the cluster of Exorcist students who headed directly for the locker rooms.

Surrounded by family, Allen felt more at ease, and leaned back in a relaxed position. Road took advantage and snuggled into his chest as he pointed out, "I don't see any sign of a teacher. We do have a teacher, right?"

Devitto scoffed, expression twisting into an irritated scowl. "We might as well not—the bastard doesn't show up half the time!"

"Bastard! Bastard! Hihi~!" Jasdero repeated with his absurd laughter.

"Good to know…" Allen smiled nervously.

"Who are you calling a bastard?"

Heads swiveled to catch sight of the Exorcists reentering the gym.

Devitto directed a sneer at Lavi. "The hell do you care, Exorcist?"

Lavi gasped, clasping his chest and cried dramatically, "You wound me!" He then pretended to faint but was soon caught by Daisya. The duo burst into obnoxious laughter, and Allen briefly wished Lavi had hit the ground. Before the argument could escalate, Lenalee gazed curiously at Allen and asked, "Are you new here?"

Allen quirked an eyebrow. "Err, I clearly recall introducing myself Allen." Oops, maybe he should've just stuck with no hood.

"Whoa! That's you up there, shortstack?! Didn't know you were such a cutie!" Lavi sniggered along with Daisya.

"Lay off Bookman! I don't care how gay you are, you are notstealing my Allen!" Road shouted, sticking her tongue out.

"Pssh, little Allen wishes we were gay!" Daisya laughed, leaning against Lavi for support.

Allen sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

Their laughter was abruptly cut short, a sharp bang echoing and bouncing off the linoleum floors as the doors were slammed open. Collectively, their gazes were drawn towards the tall, Japanese teenager causing the disturbance. He was the perfect picture of rebellion—dress shirt loose, wrinkled, and clearly visible through the unbuttoned blazer, tie completely missing, and sleeves rolled and shoved carelessly above his elbows. Long hair was pulled into a rough ponytail and messy bangs nearly covered the tops of his narrowed, dark eyes. To top it off, a katana was strapped to his waist.

Allen mentally cursed. Damn, the sound of his name alone should've told me as much. When Lenalee and Lavi mentioned this so-called "Kanda," they were referring to the same guy!

Kanda's eyes darted through the gym, until his gaze zeroed in on Allen. Without missing a breath, Kanda's glower intensified, and with crossed arms, demanded, "What the hell are you doing here, beansprout?"

Allen refused to dignify that with an answer and instead returned his scowl. "The name's Allen, you girly-haired bastard!"

"Yuu-chan! You know our little shortstack here?" Lavi butted in, his single, curious eye flickering back and forth between them.

"Know each other?" Wisely cut in, throwing his head back and barking out a laugh. "These two boneheads were best friends as little kids!" Wisely ignored the scathing glares he received from said "best friends."

"I was never friends with that numbskull!" Kanda denied furiously, hand automatically reaching for his katana.

"Same here, asshole!" Allen growled back.

Gracefully, Lulubell inserted herself into the conversation, asking blandly, "Why do you deny it so? I don't believe these were Kanda's thoughts when he tossed some kid into the middle of busy road for hurting Allen."

Lenalee gasped, demanding, "Kanda, you didn't…?"

"Che," Kanda scowled uncomfortably, avoiding their gazes. "Punk didn't die. Just a few broken bones…"

"Few broken bones my ass," Allen muttered with a scoff.

Kanda snapped his gaze in Allen's direction. "What was that, fucking beansprout?! Maybe I should chop that old geezer hair of yours and shove it down your throat!"

"Doubt you could with Mugen shoved so far up your ass!"

The rest of their insults were cut off as a tall, redheaded man stormed into the gymnasium, easily drawing everyone's attention. He gazed at each of them distastefully, and then snarled, "Alright, listen up you dirty, good-for-nothing punks—what the hell?! Who invited you along, freak?!"

Much to their astonishment, he was suddenly pointing an accusing finger in Allen's direction. Said boy simply offered him a bland stare and retorted dryly, "Gee, I don't know Uncle Cross, what on earth could a kid my age be doing at a fucking school? It's the question of the day, ladies and—"

"Don't play smart-mouth with me, dumbass! I get that enough from Neah!" Cross growled.

"Well, maybe if you weren't such an asshole…" was Allen's blunt reply. The Exorcists—excluding Kanda—stared in shock, wishing to warn him about Cross, but unwilling to get involved. It appeared as if they were too late though. Cross slipped his gun out in one swift motion and with a resounding bang, shot at Allen. The Exorcists gaped; even though they were used to Cross' temper, they'd never seen him flip the lid this quickly.

Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on your point of view—Allen was used to this sort of treatment from Cross. He expertly dodged the oncoming bullet and continued in the same fashion as Cross' frustration won out, leading him to continue with his live target practice. Throughout the long process, the rest of the students huddled in one corner, watching the gym slowly get desecrated. But somehow, there wasn't a single scratch on Allen. "Wow, I feel so welcomed, Uncle," Allen shot out sarcastically when Cross finally came to a halt, realizing he wasn't going to make a hit anytime soon.

"Like I give a rat's ass how you feel! And you're paying for this, punk!" Cross ordered with an aggravated snarl.

"Don't I always?" Allen rolled his eyes.

"Damn right, kid! Been paying my debts for the past seven years, and you've barely made a scratch!"

"Not my fault you don't know how to spend money you don't even fucking have!" Allen sneered.

Before their fight could escalate any further, Lenalee quickly stepped in and cutely tugged on Cross' sleeve. "Um sir, could you please stop?" Lenalee gazed up at him from under her thick lashes with a small pout. It was clearly an act, but anything to prevent them from destroying the rest of the school. Cross gave her a wicked smirk and replied, "Anything for you, my dear girl."

"Um, I'm pretty sure that's illegal Uncle," Allen deadpanned.

"You don't know a damn thing you insufferable imbecile!"

"I can practically feel your love."

It was at that moment that the bell finally rang, Cross' little target practice with Allen having taken up most of the class period. Everyone evacuated the destroyed gym before anything else could occur, and quickly headed towards the locker rooms. Allen was just glad he wouldn't have to deal with the man for the rest of the day.

Trigonometry

In his hurry to change while simultaneously concealing his arm, Allen wound up as the first to arrive to their next class. The sight that greeted him though was quite the unpleasant surprise. "You have got to be kidding me," Allen muttered, eyes narrowing. Of all the people…

From where he stood, casually leaning against his desk, cigarette held loosely between his lips, Tyki caught sight of him and smirked. "Now isn't this a lovely coincidence, boy?"

The retort that was ready on his lips got cut off by Road's shout, "Allen!" The smaller girl skipped into the room, arms wrapping around one of his as she pouted up at him. "Why didn't you wait for me?" she demanded but didn't give him a chance to reply once she caught sight of Tyki. "Hi, Uncle Tyki!" Road exclaimed, launching herself across and greeting the older man with an enthusiastic hug.

"Road," Tyki nodded in turn, failing to hold back an exasperated sigh.

Scowl still firmly in place, Allen demanded, "What do you think you're doing here?"

Tyki flickered his gaze back at him, lips involuntarily tugging into a grin. "What's with the face, boy? Didn't you miss me?"

Allen spluttered for a moment, before pointing an accusing finger at him and shouting, "Are you fucking kidding me?! You stabbed me in the heart!" But before he could continue his tirade, a sharp gasp escaped Mei-Ling, just as she was entering the classroom.

"He did what?!" she squeaked, and then covered her mouth, cheeks reddening when she realized how loud she'd been. Unfortunately, it was too late and had attracted the attention of the other Exorcists.

"Mei-Ling! What's wrong?!" Lenalee shouted in panic, rushing into the room and hurrying over to Mei-Ling's side, the rest of the Exorcists piling in through the doorway and practically causing a scene.

Mei-Ling's embarrassment passed once she processed everything, instead paling in fear and gesturing towards Tyki, stammering, "H-he…"

Unable to get the words out, she trailed off, and Tyki took advantage, stepping in with a slightly nervous smile and told Allen, "Look boy, it wasn't that bad! Just a little hole; and look at you! You survived." Tyki stressed the word, but Allen's glower didn't abate one bit.

"That's your excuse?" Allen growled.

In an attempt to diffuse the rising tension, Lenalee stepped forward and asked, "Allen, are you okay? What's the matter?"

Unfortunately, this only caused Allen's rage to steadily rise as he forced out through gritted teeth, "My family is screwed up! That's what!" It was at this moment that the other Noah students barged in, forcing their way through the already crowded entrance. When they took note of the fuming Allen, they didn't bother asking; it appeared as though the boy was about to burst into one of his infamous rants. (The previous one had been largely due to Cross' debts.) Allen paced back and forth, hands and arms erratically waving around as he shouted, "Sheryl almost succeeded in slicing me to pieces for 'corrupting' his precious Road!—"

Said girl giggled.

"—Tyki poked a damn hole in my heart!—"

Tyki rolled his eyes.

"—Road almost gouged my eye out with a fucking candle!—"

Road smirked.

"—Lulubell attacked me with her whip for breaking her stupid sunglasses!—"

Lulubell blinked.

"—The twins and Cross always use me as target practice with those damn guns!—"

Jasdevi muttered something about revenge after being forced to deal with Cross' debts.

"—And who could forget when the Earl almost chopped my head off with a fucking broadsword!" Allen finally finished with a wail.

An awkward silence ensued, only broken by Wisely when he chimed in, "You forgot to mention all those times Uncle Neah gave you a concussion." In turn, the other Noah fixed him with a glower for being dumb enough to bring it up.

But rather than causing Allen further depression, he instead straightened up and offered Wisely a considering look, before nodding firmly to himself. "Wisely," he declared, "You've yet to mortally wound me. You're my new favorite."

"Sweet," Wisely grinned triumphantly, ignoring the irritated glares Tyki and Road directed his way.

Kanda chose this moment to finally show up, shoving his way through the loitering Exorcists and Noah, causing everyone to jump as the late-bell unexpectedly rang with an obnoxious brrrrring. "Quit being such a sissy," he tossed Allen a sneer and without pausing headed for a desk in the back corner.

To the surprise of the Exorcists, Allen followed and sat beside him without receiving protest from the Japanese, simply muttering, "Maybe when you stop being such an uptight asshole."

The rest took this as their cue to head for their assigned seating. Fortunately, the class was large enough to be occupied by thirty students, and Tyki had taken advantage by separating all 12 of them according to troublemakers. He'd placed Lavi and Daisya on opposite corners in the front row, with Devitto and Jasdero in the same position a few rows down. He'd kept attentive students (Lenalee, Mei-Ling, and Miranda) towards the center front, while tossing Kanda towards the back corner, furthest from Lavi. Obviously, favoritism won over, and he normally allowed Lulubell, Wisely, and Road to drift about as they pleased. (Of course, Road was now opting for sitting beside Allen rather than Wisely.)

As Tyki commenced the hardly planned out lesson, most didn't pay too much attention—not that Tyki cared. He'd only taken the mind-numbing job in the first place because the Earl had clearly made his disapproval of him—a high ranking citizen—donning on hobo-like attire and hanging out with his friends, while taking side jobs with them. He'd needed to appease his head of family, and what better way than to occupy a job at the academy founded by the Earl's ancestor?

As for Allen, he hardly found it surprising that Tyki's abilities as an instructor were generally lackluster. So, he settled in for a long hour, slumping back against his seat and eyeing the doodles Road was drawing on her notebook. She seemed to have an odd fascination with scary dolls and lollipops. Kanda, who up until then had been gazing out the window in disinterest, finally spared him a glance and harshly muttered, "What happened to your hair and face, beansprout? Last I recall, your hair was almost as bright as the rabbit's!" Allen grimaced, and though he was unsure who the 'rabbit' was, he could guess it was almost certainly Lavi. "Probably one of the few reasons I haven't killed him yet," Kanda muttered, almost inaudibly, but Allen caught it.

"What was that, Kanda?" Allen teased, "Did you miss me?"

Kanda merely tossed him a glare at his obvious aim to avoid the question. Allen pursed his lips, avoiding the other's gaze, attempting to formulate a plausible explanation, before finally giving in with a sigh.

"Sometime after you left for Japan," he began in a whisper which was fortunately drowned out by Tyki's droning voice, "Mana insisted we move somewhere new again. He was never one to stick around a place for too long…" From his peripherals, Allen noted Road pausing in her doodling and becoming attentive towards his words. "We were packing our stuff and loading it into the van, when one of his comedy props dislodged and rolled down the street. We both chased after it, and this car… it just swerved out of nowhere… it hit Mana dead on, with me not far behind. That's how I got the scar. As for my hair; the doctors determined that the trauma bleached it from its color."

By the time Allen had concluded his tale, his voice had begun to tremble, unable to hold back the onslaught of memories

Screeching tires; rough pavement; the throbbing of sharp glass digging into his face; blaring sirens, and then, darkness.

"Mana! Mana! Where's Mana?! I want Mana!"

"Allen, Mana is no longer with us."

"B-but… NO! He promised! H-he promised…"

Allen was jolted back from his nightmarish memories by a small hand squeezing his in comfort. He relaxed from his rigid posture and squeezed Road's hand back, allowing her to lean against him. From his other side, Kanda spat a string of fowl curses beneath his breath, face hardened and fists clenched at his sides. Fortunately, no one else noticed the exchange between the trio, either taking notes or falling asleep atop their desk. Even Tyki seemed bored of his own lecture.

By the time class ended, Allen wasn't even sure what subject it was that Tyki taught.

English

It was a school wide held belief that Professor Nyne was one of the few sane workers at the academy, but Allen knew better. Klaud Nyne was, after all, the woman who'd whipped Cross back into shape after he'd turned into a womanizing drunkard in light of Maria's death—literally. Even now, from his seat, Allen was able to catch a glimpse of the whip hanging from her belt, mostly hidden in the shadows of her coat so as not to frighten the younger ones. And unlike a lot of her fellow professors, she did take her job seriously and acted professional about it—unless Cross was being a bastard, then all sanity flew out the window and the whip came out. So, it was no surprise when she didn't even hint to the small class of Exorcists of her relation to him.

She, similar to Tyki, had the brains to separate Kanda, Lavi, and Daisya to different corners of the room—Lavi and Kanda being the furthest apart. Miranda and Mei-Ling sat in the front, and she'd moved Allen from his chosen spot next Kanda, in favor of having him sit next to Lenalee in the middle of the second row of seats. Professor Nyne found herself loaded with stacks of essays to grade—fortunately, an assignment Allen was exempt from—and so she'd assigned them a bit of class work which they could collaborate on with anyone who sat near them. Lenalee, of course, took the opportunity to chat with him.

Casually answering one of the first questions on the worksheet, she asked him in a hushed voice, "How has school been treating you so far?"

Pausing amidst a question, Allen flitted his gaze in her direction and shrugged. "It's alright, I suppose. Certainly not what I expected."

"Yeah," Lenalee fiddled with her pen and offered him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about Lavi and Daisya. I know they've been a pain; unfortunately, they tend to get carried away." She shrugged helplessly.

Allen snorted, "You don't have to tell me twice."

Lenalee quieted for a moment, and Allen returned to jotting down answers. After a few minutes though, she coughed and nervously asked, "Um, sorry if I'm being nosy, but I was wondering… wouldn't your relationship with Road be considered incest?" She ducked her head, refusing to meet his eyes, much to Allen's amusement.

To her shock, Allen chuckled quietly and waved it off, explaining in a hushed voice, "Uh, no, not really. You see, my father's younger brother, Uncle Neah, is only his half sibling through their father. Uncle Neah's mom apparently had other kids—Sheryl and Tyki—who are half-brothers to him, so they're Uncle Neah's extended family. Plus, Mana adopted me. Of course, I still consider them family, even if Road does get carried away sometimes."

"Oh," Lenalee nodded rapidly, "I see! Still, sorry for asking such a personal question. I was just a little confused because of what happened last hour. Err, are they really okay though? Some of the things you said…" Lenalee trailed off with a concerned expression.

Allen waved it off. "They're fine—for the most part. I just needed to get all of that off my chest. And if I'm being honest, it's almost as bad as some of things I've done to them," Allen shook his head with a rueful grin.

Lenalee leaned in curiously and whispered, "Really? Like what?"

Allen took on a thoughtful expression as he clarified, "Hm, well other than humiliating Tyki at strip poker all the time, there was the time I slashed him across the chest with a sword." When Lenalee's expression became horrified, he was quick to reassure, "Don't worry, the cut was shallow at worst!"

She calmed down and cocking her head to the side, she wondered, "Where did you even get a sword?"

Rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner, Allen gave her another rueful grin and trailed off, "I may have borrowed a certain Japanese boy's katana…" Here, he shot Kanda a not-so-discreet glance from the corner of his eye. Briefly, he noted the older teen sharpening his katana in a threatening manner while shooting Lavi a scathing glare. Allen wondered what the idiot had done this time around.

"Right!" Lenalee nodded, "I was wondering about that! How do you know Kanda?"

"Eh," Allen shrugged, "We were just neighbors and the rest of the kids on the street were total buzzkills." Lenalee found it amusing how in his tone of voice, he might as well have been saying that one plus one equals two. Something that just was.

Lenalee giggled and remarked, "You must have certainly made an impression! I've never seen anybody sit next to Kanda without getting knocked across the room!"

"I didn't think I had…" Allen's brow furrowed. "Then again, I suspect I remind of someone," he mused, recalling the time Kanda had made mention of Alma. As far as he knew, Kanda had never even said as much to anyone else.

"You mean," Lenalee begin with a small frown, "You really think that before he befriended you, Kanda might have had someone else…?"

Allen shook his head. "I'm not completely positive; it's merely a guess."

A small frown continued to tug at her eyebrows, though she eventually shrugged it off. "Say," she turned to him just as he jotted down the last answers on his worksheet, "I know it's most likely you'd choose your family, but would you like to sit with us during lunch?"

Feeling pleasantly surprised, Allen nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

Lenalee blinked, seemingly stunned that he'd accepted, and then beamed. "Really?"

"Yeah," he grinned, "Uncle Neah recently decided to have us move in with them, so I see them all the time regardless!"

"Perfect!" Lenalee decided just as the bell emitted a piercing brrrrring. Simultaneously, they stood, dropping off their assignments at Klaud's desk as Lenalee began to lead Allen through the sprawling campus—Allen found himself grateful for it; so far, it had been Road pointing him in the direction of his classes. Allen, after all, wasn't known for his sense of direction. Though it was doubtful he was even born with it in the first place.

Lunch

A good portion of the student body, currently situated in the vast area that was the cafeteria, couldn't help but gape at Allen with unconcealed shock, their jaws practically on the ground. It just wasn't possible. Not a single student believed Allen could possibly make a dent on the pile of food he somehow managed to carry without toppling over. Lenalee, the most nervous of them all (considering she stood beside him), carefully led Allen to where the rest of the Exorcists sat. Apparently, they always allowed Kanda to 'choose' the table because he wouldn't sit with them otherwise. Kanda called it harassment.

"Whoa!" Lavi gasped. "Is that really you, shortstack?!"

Setting his food down on the table with a heavy thud, Allen ignored the groaning of the wood beneath it and poked his head around his lunch, scowling at the redhead. "The name's Allen!" he retorted, before plopping down on his chair.

Kanda scoffed, and lazily commented, "Still a damn glutton, I see."

"And you're still a soba-eating freak!" Allen automatically shot back and then began to dig enthusiastically into his food; though whether he'd finish it was truly debatable.

"Come on, Kanda," Daisya griped, "You still haven't told us the story of how you became friends with shorty over there." Curious, the others leaned in, awaiting his response. They ignored Allen's muffled exclamation of, "It's Allen!"

Kanda scowled. "I'm not friends with that dumbass of a beansprout," he snapped.

"Hey! I'm not a dumbass you shitface!" Allen growled, poking his head around the pile of food to pointedly glare at Kanda.

"Oh, really?" the Japanese teen sneered. "If that midget of yours hadn't directed you to each and every class, how much do you want to bet that you'd have ended up in the school on the other side of town?" Kanda smirked in victory as Allen flushed and returned to devouring his food. (They had to admit, he'd eaten more than expected, but it was still doubtful he'd finish half the food he'd ordered.)

Eyebrows creasing into a small frown, Mei-Ling muttered loud enough for the others to hear, "He can't be that bad…"

"I once woke up to find that he'd slept in my living room overnight because he couldn't find his house," Kanda remarked dryly with an irritated frown, attempting to prove his point.

The others exchanged perplexed glances, until Lenalee thought to exclaim, "But I thought you two used to be next door neighbors!"

"That's my fucking point!"

Kanda expertly dodge the food thrown his way. "Shut your bigass trap!" Allen shouted. He went ignored once more.

"Ha!" Lavi cackled triumphantly. "But that only serves to prove you are friends if you two know each other so well!"

Unexpectedly, it was Allen who spoke up, distracting Kanda from the thought of strangling the idiotic rabbit. "No," Allen shook his head, "It just proves that both you and I are experts at dodging that damn katana he carries around."

Everyone was forced to concede to this, and fortunately the subject was changed once Mei-Ling piped up and asked, "Is Professor Cross really your uncle?"

From behind the pile of rapidly depleting food, they heard Allen snort, "Yeah right! Like I'd ever be related to that womanizing bastard! He's just been a family friend as long as I can remember."

"Yeah, but what was up with the whole seven-year debt paying he mentioned?" Daisya pointed out, gaining everyone's attention

"Oh, that," Allen muttered, scowling darkly. "When we were kids, Kanda had the brilliant idea to practice making booby traps around our houses, so we could use them as practice on the neighborhood kids—in my defense, I only agreed to it because it was certainly better than the other methods he'd taken to getting rid of people. And a lot cleaner…" Simultaneously, the others mentally rejoiced in the fact that they hadn't been forced to deal with Kanda when they were children.

Unaware of their thoughts, Allen continued, "Unfortunately, there was one trap that involved daggers, and of course, it had to be the first one that got set off. And that victim, ladies and gentlemen, turned out to be Uncle Cross. The bastard refused to go to the hospital until we negotiated a punishment—and considering we were home alone, we didn't have much of choice. My sentence? Ten years of servitude."

Horrified, Lavi exclaimed, "Seriously?! Ten years?! Damn, remind to me never hire you guys as lawyers!"

With not much space to unsheathed Mugen, Kanda resorted to smacking the redhead upside the head as he growled, "The asshole wanted to give us fifty years! Each!"

"Then remind me to have you as a lawyer if I ever need one," Lavi whimpered.

Kanda scoffed and muttered, "Like I'd do anything to help you out, stupid rabbit."

"Aww, don't be so mean to me, Yuu-chan~!" Lavi wailed dramatically. Kanda's only response was to harshly shove him off his seat. Nobody even flinched when the redhead hit the floor with heavy thump.

"And you still haven't answered the original question," Daisya smirked, "How did you two actually become friends?"

"We're not friends," Allen repeated for the nth time, after swallowing another bite of food, but then relented, "But if you really want to know how we met, it's simple. Kanda tried to chop my head off when I was six."

"Gee, what a great way to start a friendship," Daisya commented dryly, just as a dazed Lavi dragged himself back onto his seat. Kanda's scowl remained, and Allen continued to eat his way through the pile of food he considered lunch. Much to the surprise of the Exorcists, he was half-way done, but everyone was in the agreement that he'd give up any second. (Those who had made bets though, were starting to lose hope, because Allen appeared to be just as hungry as when he'd entered the lunch room.)

Unpredictably, it was Miranda who spoke up next. "S-so is it true?" she managed to stammer out, fiddling with a napkin, and turning slightly red when they shot her questioning glances, but she managed to elaborate, "About Cross and Nyne dating."

"Oh, that?" Allen snorted, pausing to take drink, before he answered, "That's old news. They're getting married this week."

Lenalee and Mei-Ling reacted positively, squealing in delight and throwing out compliments such as, "Wow, that's great!" and "Aww, that's so sweet!"

But rather, Allen grimaced and shook his head. "Not really," he grumbled, "It just gives the family a chance to all show up at once, and of course, I'll be dragged into it too."

"Your family can't be that bad," Lenalee tried to reassure him with a bit of a nervous laugh.

"No," Kanda firmly denied, "They're that fucking bad." His face also twisted into a grimace, as if he'd just eaten something sour. (Or in Kanda's case, something sweet.)

"Ah, that's right," Allen suddenly smirked, eyes lighting up with amusement, "That means you'll be dragged along as well."

"Over my dead body," Kanda growled.

"That can be arranged," Allen simply shrugged as he picked up his shockingly empty tray, just as the bell rang and began heading out.

"Hey beansprout!" Kanda called out.

"What?!"

"You're going the wrong way, dumbass!"

"Damn it!"

Art

"Oh, Yuu~! Who's your little friend?" Professor Tiedoll cheerfully asked as the Exorcist students began ambling into the art room. Simultaneously, Allen, Lavi, and Daisya snickered, while Kanda discreetly flipped them off.

"Don't call me that, damn it!" Kanda griped. "And what friend?"

"The small, white-haired one!" Tiedoll exclaimed, causing Allen to frown. He wasn't small!

"I'm surprised you forgot the little brat who would always empty out our fridge," Kanda scoffed.

"Wait! That was you who he was always talking about?" Daisya suddenly pointed at Allen. The white-haired teen quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Why on earth would they mention him to Daisya of all people?

"That's right, son!" Tiedoll nodded with a beam.

"Don't call me that, old man!" Daisya scowled, and it dawned on Allen that Daisya was probably an adoptee of Tiedoll's. They must've taken him in sometime after Tiedoll and Marie moved out once Kanda left for Japan when Allen was twelve.

Tiedoll didn't seem at all perturbed by Daisya's attitude, his smile remaining serene. He then turned to Allen. "So it is you, Allen! I'm so happy to have you back as student! How did those art lessons work out for you? Have you continued to improve?"

Allen grimaced at the reminder, and simply shook his head, replying, "Please don't remind me."

"Oh, I'm sure you've gotten better by now!" Tiedoll waved off his negativity, offering him an encouraging smile. Allen cringed.

"Yes, Allen," Kanda suddenly agreed, causing Allen to tense up. Kanda never used his name unless he was out to cause trouble for him. With a wicked smirk, Kanda continued, "Why don't you give us a demonstration?"

"Hell no!" Allen protested furiously.

Unfortunately for poor Allen, it had the desired effect, and Tiedoll, ignoring Allen's protests, eagerly pushed him towards the old blackboard at the back of the classroom, handing him a piece of chalk. "Draw something for us, Allen!" he recommended

Allen shook his head frantically, but before he could protest any further, Tiedoll addressed the class, "Who would like to volunteer to be Allen's model?"

"How about you, rabbit?" Kanda suggested with nasty grin.

Lavi may act idiotic, but he was, in fact, not stupid. And so, he shook his head furiously and retorted, "Nuh uh! I don't think so! Sorry shortstack, but you are not ruining this beautiful face!"

Allen scowled, briefly wishing the redhead had been dumb enough to say yes.

"I'll do it," Lenalee offered, raising her hand hesitantly.

Lavi immediately butted in with an anxious shake of his head. "Lenalee! Are you insane?! If he deforms your face, do you know what Komui will do to him?!"

All color drained from Lenalee's face in quick succession. White as a sheet, she said, voice faintly trembling, "I'm sorry, Allen, I take that back. It'd probably be best if you didn't attempt to draw me." She shot him an apologetic look.

Feeling unsure, Allen nodded warily in return. He wasn't sure what to make of the brief exchange, but he certainly didn't wish to find out anytime soon. Just as he was getting ready to plead to Tiedoll and convince him against the whole idea, Miranda stepped up with a reassuring smile. "Y-you can draw me. I'm sure no one will kill you if you mess up."

This only gave Allen more insight as to what Lavi had been talking about, causing him to shudder at the thought of this 'Komui'. Glancing warily at Miranda, he replied in a careful tone, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Miranda didn't seem to know what to make of his warning, so he simply turned back to the chalkboard and with a cringe, sketched out the older girl. Or at least, he attempted to. Allen winced at the turnout, but no matter how hard he tried, it continued to worsen. Eventually he gave up, using his body to keep the result hidden.

"Hurry it up, beansprout!" Kanda spoke up tauntingly, restoring Allen's scowl.

He managed to stall for another couple minutes, before Kanda finally dragged him to the side, showcasing the horror that was Allen's drawing. It was so silent, the dropping of a pin could be heard, and then a giggle, and then the eruption of so much laughter Allen's face turned bright red from embarrassment.

"Oh, c'mon! I-it wasn't that bad, shortstack!" Lavi stammered between hoots of laughter, hands bracing against his knees and tears spilling out from the amount of laughter. But that only encouraged Allen to continue to stomp towards the doorway, fuming as he slammed the classroom door.

I'm going to slaughter that guy, Allen thought viciously, stalking down the hallway, fists clenched at his side.

Chemistry

For a good while, Allen contemplated ditching out on his last class, but he just knew Neah wouldn't let him hear the end of it. So, it was with great reluctance that he stepped into Professor Lee's class at the last minute. Fortunately, this prevented the others from making any comment as the last-minute bell rang with an earsplitting brrrrring. Allen was relieved to find this class was also shared with the Noah, and silently slipped into a seat beside Road, just as the professor began to call for attendance in a rather cheerful voice.

It was once Professor Lee had finished taking attendance, that he set his sights on Allen. "I see we have a new student," he remarked, expression unreadable. Though the florescent lighting reflecting off his glasses and concealing his expression felt rather sinister to Allen.

Deciding he was being silly, Allen simply frowned in annoyance. He hadn't expected for any of the professors to require an introduction from him, but before the professor could continue, the rest of the class groaned in exasperation. Eh? What's going on now? I hope it's not another professor who's off his rocker…

"Seriously, Komui?!" Lavi demanded, irritated. "Not this again!"

Even Lenalee appeared to agree. "Yes, Brother! Must you continue this senseless practice?" she asked, clearly embarrassed as she held her face between her hands. Allen blinked, then felt silly for not noticing their identical surnames earlier. So was this the 'Komui' Lavi had mentioned earlier?

"But my dear Lenalee!" Komui protested quite dramatically. "I must protect you!" With this declaration, Komui abruptly heaved out an enormous rifle from thin air. Allen's eyes widened, and he nearly toppled out of his seat. "Now," Komui began, turning to Allen with a dangerous glint in his eyes, "I have a few questions to ask you."

"But Komui!" Road butted in, and Allen had never been more grateful. "Allen's mine! Quit harassing him!"

To Allen's misfortune, this wasn't enough to convince Komui. Rather, he was only encouraged as he confirmed, "All the more reason to interrogate him! What if he turns out to be a cheating scumbag?!"

Pulling off one of the puppets key-chained to her bag, Road lobbed it at Komui's face, shouting, "Don't call my Allen a cheating scumbag!"

"Ow!" Komui cried, stumbling back and clutching the eye Road had hit. "Road! Don't make me give you another detention!"

"Fine then! I'll just destroy your stupid robots again!" Road threatened him with a scowl.

"No!" Komui wailed, "Anything but my robots!"

Allen sweatdropped. Is this really our teacher?

"Then leave my Allen alone!" Road demanded.

Straightening up, Komui dug out a small remote control with a single, red button upon it. "Fine. But if I can't interrogate him, then my beautiful Komurin II will!"

"NO!" the class yelled, panicked now, but it was too late. With a crazed laugh, Komui pressed the red button.

For a moment, silence reigned. And then, an echoing THUMP THUMP THUMP resounded, causing the building to shake from its foundations as the massive machinery stomped through, gradually gaining volume, until it thundered before them, tearing its way through the classroom. "Oh, mother of…" Allen trailed off with a squeak, mouth drying.

"My beautiful Komurin!" Komui cried with joy, before his expression became grave and he pointed at Allen, commanding, "Interrogate him!"

"Allen?" Road whispered, as the robot's head slowly roved to scan him.

"Yes?" Allen gulped.

"Run!"

That was all the encouragement Allen needed. Wrenching his way through the wreckage and slightly stumbling, he felt the robot give chase. Sprinting his way down the corridor, Allen had only one thought in mind.

I'm going to fucking kill you, Neah!

A/N: Ah, poor Allen. He just can't seem get a break! (x Haha, and if you're wondering, I'm just leaving this as a one-shot. Yup, sorry! I was originally going to make it multi-chapter, but I don't have the time, or the plot for that matter, and I'm trying to focus on my other D. Gray-Man fic, Timely Mishaps, so this is all you get! :D Well, I hope you liked it, and tell me what you thought! ^,^